进程员（Programmer，Computer Programmer或Coder），它可以指在进程设计某个专业领域中的专业人士，或是从事软件撰写，进程开发、维护的专业人员。但一般Coder特指进行编写代码的编码员。

随着时代的发展，对进程员的要求也在变化，需要他们掌握更多的知识与技能，如：UML、单元测试、各种方法论等，以满足随时代不断变化的商业、科技与应用等需求。

英国著名诗人拜伦的女儿爱达·勒芙蕾丝曾设计了巴贝奇分析机上计算伯努利数的一个进程。她甚至还创建了递归和子进程的概念。由于她在进程设计上的突破性创新，爱达被称为世界上第一位进程员。

A programmer, computer programmer, developer, coder, or software engineer is a person who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to programming may also be known as a programmer analyst. A programmer's primary computer language (Assembly, COBOL, C, C++, C#, Java, Lisp, Python, etc.) is often prefixed to these titles, and those who work in a Web environment often prefix their titles with Web. The term programmer can be used to refer to a software developer, Web developer, mobile applications developer, embedded firmware developer, software engineer, computer scientist, or software analyst. However, members of these professions possess other software engineering skills, beyond programming; for this reason, the term programmer, or code monkey, is sometimes considered an insulting or derogatory oversimplification of these other professions. This has sparked much debate amongst developers, analysts, computer scientists, programmers, and outsiders who continue to be puzzled at the subtle differences in the definitions of these occupations.